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The Threat: After the fire that destroyed the Brislen Building in 2014 and its subsequent demolition, the two adjacent 3-story brick commercial buildings have been vacant. The empty lot, two historic buildings, and the former Sky City building were combined into one parcel and have been sold to an out of town owner with an unknown end use or plans for rehabilitation. After nearly 4 years of vacancy, Historic Augusta is concerned about not only the end use of the parcel but also the condition of the building’s original character defining features. With the combination of the parcels, it is possible that the historic buildings will be demolished for new construction with the Augusta Downtown Historic District.

Some History: 1899 is the earliest City Directory listing for 1134 and 1136 Broad Street which later were renumbered as 1154 and 1160 Broad Street in 1904. 1134 was the address for Perrin & Land druggists and Dr. G. H. Lehmann. Dr. Lehmann is also indicated as living at 1134 Broad Street. 1136 Broad Street lists the W. H. Turner furniture company as occupying the space as well as being the residence of Edward Brislen. The buildings have been steadily occupied since the turn of the 20th century by a variety of retail businesses, offices, and residences.

Possible Future Uses: As contributing buildings in the Augusta Downtown Historic District and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the buildings would potentially be certified for both state and federal certified rehabilitation tax credits as income producing properties. Ideally the first floor will remain commercial or retail space with the second and third floors rehabbed for apartments or as additional commercial space. They could easily be incorporated into the overall redevelopment plan for the block.

The mission of Historic Augusta, Inc. is to preserve historically or architecturally significant sites in Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia.